NFL Hall of Fame QB and Fox Sports lead analyst Troy Aikman will complete his 20th season on-air with Joe Buck — the NFL’s longest-tenured on-air duo — as they call Sunday’s 49ers-Rams NFC Championship game. But first, Aikman huddles with Post columnist Steve Serby for some playoff Q&A.
Q: Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow haven’t played in a conference championship game. What should they expect?
A: This will be the biggest game of their careers. And they’ll know it. And they know that already. It is different. It’s a different feel, a different vibe as soon as you take the field. There’s a lot more media for this game than there had been for any of the other two playoff games. And then when they take the field, everything about it is different. It’s how well can they settle in? I think it’s true of all games, even regular-season games. There’s times when things are happening at warp speed early in games, and eventually the game slows down. And the sooner that that can happen, then the better off these quarterbacks’ll be.
Q: Describe Matthew Stafford.
A: The conversation about, “Hey, is the stage too big for him? How will he play when he gets to the postseason?” This guy’s been under a microscope since the trade took place. He’s gotten them to this point, and we all know that getting to the NFC Championship is not why they traded for him. And even getting to the next game is not why they traded for him. But he’s played so well, especially last week in a hostile environment when Tampa [Bay] started to mount their comeback and he made the plays at the end. I just think whatever happens, I don’t think we can say or suggest that the game was too big. I think the guy’s phenomenal. He’s stood up and he’s played great when there’s been a lot of pressure on him all season long.
Q: As for Jimmy Garoppolo, it’s been said that you can win because of quarterbacks, and you can win with quarterbacks.
A: I think with Jimmy it’s a little bit of both. Once somebody kind of gets labeled, if in fact that’s how Jimmy’s labeled, and I understand, I think if you’re a 49ers fan, (chuckle) every time Jimmy drops back to pass, it’s a roller-coaster ride, you’re not real sure exactly what you’re going to get. But I’ve seen him when he’s played lights out and has been on the money. And I think that even when there’s been those games — and we’ve seen it, we saw it last week in Green Bay, he had the interception down in the red zone, had a couple of others that could have been intercepted — I think if that’s your narrative on Jimmy, then you don’t take into consideration the big plays that he makes on third downs that keeps drives alive. I like Jimmy, I really do. I admire the way he’s been able to hang in there. I love the way he’s handled everything with Trey Lance in a very, very difficult circumstance. I don’t know that people really realize how hard that is. I never quite went through that, but I have an idea as to how difficult that can be, and he’s been amazing. He’s been a great teammate, his teammates love him. I think he’s a huge reason as to why this team’s where they’re at.
Q: The Sean McVay-Kyle Shanahan coaching matchup?
A: I love that tree, I will tell ya. If I was starting a team today, and could pick any head coach that I wanted, Kyle Shanahan would be my head coach. I love everything about him. Love the way he’s the head coach of that team, but also his offensive creativity and brilliance. And I think Sean McVay is awesome as well. These are two coaches, two teams that are really in a lot of ways mirror images of one another as far as their philosophy, how they really want to go about winning, the way the teams are built, both really good offensive minds, but in addition to that, I think they’re both great head coaches.
Q: How would you describe Deebo Samuel’s mentality?
A: It’s unlike anything I’ve seen. There’s players that have that … people refer to it as this “dog mentality,” and I guess that’s the best way to say it, maybe that resonates the most with people when they hear that. I was asked this past week if we’ll see more of that, where we see guys that are wide receivers play running back and be versatile the way that we’ve seen Deebo. The answer to that is no. It’s rare. I’ve played with a lot of great receivers, I don’t know any of ’em that could have lined up in the backfield and run between the tackles. You’ve got Elijah Mitchell, who I think a lot of. When you have two backs, usually you have a guy who’s a little bit more of the speed guy, and then you have the thumper. And the thumper for the 49ers is Deebo Samuel. He gets the tough yards. And that’s the wide receiver. I’ve never seen anything like it. I said it last week during my broadcast with the 49ers-Packers that he’s my new favorite player in the league. I think the guy’s amazing, and I admire everything about him.
Q: What makes Cooper Kupp so good?
A: First and foremost, what makes anybody great is their desire to be great, and it’s clear that he works at it. But then he’s got this skill set and the quickness where he just … he understands leverage. Those Rams receivers, they run routes as well as anyone in the game. And really, they run routes better than anyone I’ve seen since probably another pair of wide receivers with the Rams, in Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. And so they’re well-coached, he’s well-coached, and he just doesn’t tip anything off. He only tips something if he wants you to then bite on that fake. But he’s as much a technician running routes as anyone I’ve ever seen.
Q: How remarkable is Cam Akers’ comeback from an Achilles tear?
A: I can’t even fathom it. I find it almost incomprehensible that a guy could tear an Achilles in camp and play that same year. And doesn’t seem to have any lingering effects. (Chuckle) I have a feeling the doctors and the trainers with the Rams are gonna be getting a lot of calls in the years ahead about people that have Achilles tendon tears and how they got ’em back so fast.
Q: If Eric Weddle can come back, why can’t Troy Aikman?
A: (Laugh) That is pretty amazing. I’m surprised he hasn’t pulled a hamstring. That’s usually the first thing that goes when you come off the couch. I guess all that pickup basketball that he played, he must have been going full speed. He didn’t play basketball like I did, I would cherry pick, I’d stay on one end and get the easy layup (laugh).
Q: George Kittle or Travis Kelce?
A: Oh, man. It’s kind of the Peyton Manning-Tom Brady question to me. I’ll let you pick it, I’ll take whoever you don’t take. I love what Kittle’s able to do blocking, and all that. I remember back when we [1990s Cowboys] lost Jay Novacek when he retired, we weren’t nearly as good of an offense, and Jerry [Jones, owner] said, “Hey we need to go get a guy like Jay Novacek.” Yeah, well, where are they? There was Jay and there was Brent Jones in San Francisco, there just weren’t any others in the league that could do those things. And now, you look around the league, and just about every team has one or two, some of ’em have two. We tend to at times talk a lot about the great young quarterbacks. Our league’s in good shape with a lot of great talented tight ends, too.
Q: Odell Beckham Jr.’s resurgence?
A: It’s probably been a good fit for him, to come in when he did … I hate to say understand his role, because I think his role is big … but to not have to be the featured guy — not to say that he can’t be — but that’s not why he was brought in, to be the featured guy. And I think probably at this stage of his career it was a good thing, and the timing couldn’t have been better. Initially it just looked like an abundance of riches, but then that same week they picked him up they lose Robert Woods. He had to be a contributor and play well, and he’s really come on. It’s a complex system in the way that they do things, and I think that he’s done really a nice job.
Q: McVay integrating these stars such as OBJ and Von Miller?
A: The challenge, I think, is if you take great players … the most talented teams aren’t always the best teams. And there is this locker room component: Do guys enjoy playing with each other? That’s a big part of the chemistry. Some of that comes with winning. But some of it just comes with personalities as to whether or not everybody’s compatible and trying to blend in, that is the challenge every year. And you have to rebuild that, I believe, every year even though you have a core group of players that return. But when you’re bringing in players in the middle of the season, guys like Von Miller and Odell Beckham, those type of moves, sometimes that can be disruptive. Sometimes bringing in better players doesn’t make you a better team. Obviously they’ve done a great job, the fact that they’re at this point in the season, and it seems like everyone has fit in really well.
Q: Who is more likely to wreck this game, Aaron Donald or Nick Bosa?
A: I would say Aaron Donald, if I had to pick one. I think the world of both these guys. I think these are two of the best offensive lines in football. The Rams are a better pass-blocking offensive front, the 49ers are a better run-blocking front, even though they’re both good in the other areas, and so I would give the nod to Donald for that reason. And then also … Donald’s gonna get all the attention, but then you also have Von Miller and Leonard Floyd that teams have to concern themselves with, too. Not that teams don’t have to concern themselves with Arik Armstead and the rest of the crew.
Q: The 49ers have gotten to guys without blitzing.
A: Yeah, they’re not a big blitz team, they rush four for the most part. I think DeMeco Ryans has done a great job in his first year, and he does just enough at critical moments in games to take advantage of some things when offenses get a little bit relaxed against a four-man rush. And the Rams are capable, obviously, as well, of doing that. They don’t necessarily have to bring people, either, in order to get to the quarterback.
Q: Von Miller could wreak havoc with Trent Williams’ ankle problem and Tom Compton at right tackle.
A: Compton didn’t have his best game last week against Green Bay. I think though, with those rushers, if you’re not on point as an offensive lineman, there’s any number of ’em that can wreck your afternoon (chuckle). What happens, usually in college, is they take the best athletes of the big guys and they put ’em on defense. And then the guys who aren’t as good of athletes, they put on the offensive line. So now you’ve got what is, for the most part, a better athlete who’s running forward versus a lesser athlete who’s trying to block that person while backpedaling. It’s almost an unfair fight.
Q: It’s so hard to beat a team three times in one season. Do the 49ers have a psychological edge?
A: It’s hard to beat a team twice in a season. It’s hard to beat a team six times in three years. I think there’s a mental element to this game to both teams. On the one hand, you’ve got the Rams, who sit there and say, “Gosh.” … There’s some guys on that team who’ve never beaten the 49ers, so there’s an element in the Rams’ mind saying, “Gosh, can we beat this team?” There’s some doubt because they haven’t done it in so long. And then for the 49ers, you sit there and think, “Man, we’ve won six in a row, that’s hard to do. Who does that against good football teams? Can we do that a seventh time, when it really matters, to get to the Super Bowl?” So I think there’s a mental game going on with both teams.
Q: What is the one key to the NFC Championship game?
A: I think it’s really a matter of protection more than anything … whether it’s the protection on the quarterbacks or whether these defensive pass rushers could get to the quarterback. I think whoever protects the best, more than likely, is gonna be the team that wins. These are the two best pass-rushing teams in football with their front fours. When you go into a game like this as a quarterback, they’re gonna have to make some throws under duress, and at critical moments in games, and it’s who’s gonna be able to do the best job of doing that.
Q: Who would be an X-factor for each team?
A: An X-factor could be Van Jefferson or Tyler Higbee, [those] are two guys who I could see coming up with a critical play at a big moment when it’s needed. As for the 49ers, I really like this Brandon Aiyuk, I really like him a lot, and I think there’s so much attention paid to Deebo that this guy’s good, but I think it could very well be Jauan Jennings.
Q: How physical, how intense will this game be?
A: Both these teams are so physical. Especially for the 49ers, it’s a brand of football that you just don’t see a lot in today’s game. The 49ers remind me a lot of the good teams that I was a part of in how physical they are, their philosophy of … they just want to beat the s–t out of ya, and run the ball, and then take their shots with the play-action. I think it’s the key for every team, when you play San Francisco, is you gotta match that intensity and the physicality of the game, especially early. The Rams were not quite prepared for it in the Week 10 game the first time they played. I see that same type of game, I think it’s just gonna be a physical brawl, and it’s who can make the plays when they’re there. In these games, Jimmy Johnson used to always say: It’s not who makes the most big plays, it’s who makes the fewest bad plays. If you go out there and you don’t beat yourself and you don’t turn the ball over and you don’t have penalties, those types of negative plays — both these teams are really hard to beat.
Q: Low-scoring?
A: I don’t see it as a shootout in the 30s. I see a 21-18, 21-17.
Q: Do the Rams have any kind of home-field advantage?
A: I do think they have a home-field advantage in the fact that they’re dressing in a locker room that they’re familiar with, they know the sight lines, they’re familiar with the field … all of the comforts of home. There’s something to be said for that. But the real home-field advantage in terms of the crowd … we did the Week 18 game, it seemed like there were more 49ers fans than there were Rams fans, and they’re projecting that to be the case again this week.
Q: What are your thoughts on the overtime rules?
A: On the one hand, I think that we can’t dismiss defense. I’ve been hearing for a long time, defense wins championships, and now we’re saying, well maybe they don’t win championships. If you’re gonna argue that defense wins championships, then I think you’d have to say you like the overtime rules. I think that the games being played right now, I wouldn’t mind seeing both teams get a chance, regardless of whether it’s a touchdown or field goal or whatever happens on the opening drive. But I’d hate for it to be a knee-jerk reaction based on what happened in that Buffalo-Kansas City game. I think everyone understands what the rules are and what you have to do, and I think for Buffalo, there were ample opportunities to win that game, to not even get that game into overtime. If they change the rules, I’d be fine with it.
Q: The AFC Championship game … Joe Burrow? I’ve seen him compared to Troy Aikman and Tom Brady.
A: I’m just hoping that’s because of our looks, that’s why he’s being compared to me. (Laugh) I think the world of Joe Burrow, I love him. I loved him when he came out, I studied him a little bit when he was coming out of college [LSU], and then after meeting him, I mentioned this to someone the other day — he’s a smart guy, he’s a talented player — but you ask yourself, “What separates the great quarterbacks from the guys who are good?” I think it goes beyond the measurables, I think it’s beyond what kind of talent they have, it’s how are they wired? And this guy’s got an edge to him that I think is required to be a great player in the league. I like him a lot.
Q: Ja’Marr Chase?
A: He’s phenomenal. That’s a great tandem between those two, the fact that they already know each other. That’s gonna be one of the great combos in football for the next decade.
Q: Are you expecting a shootout similar to Josh Allen-Patrick Mahomes?
A: I kind of am. I think that it’s gonna be a higher-scoring game than the game I have.
Q: Mahomes struggled with his mechanics early in the season. What have you noticed about him?
A: I don’t know about the mechanics. He’s a really talented guy, and so I think if you were to really nitpick on the mechanics, then I think you take away some of his creativity and the things that make him who he is. That’s a fine line. I think the biggest point with Patrick was just the way teams were playing him. What happens, when you’re used to getting the big plays is then you expect the big plays, and when you’re not getting them or the defense is playing you a certain way, it’s hard then to kind of change your mentality as a quarterback and then just start taking what the defense is giving you, because you want to push the ball down the field. I think that was the real key for him was just becoming more patient with how teams were playing him and not forcing things.
Q: Wouldn’t the coaching edge naturally go to Andy Reid against Zac Taylor?
A: I think there is something to be said for the wealth of experience in these games that he has that he can draw upon. But everybody has to get there at some point. [Under Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson in 1992], our second year to make the playoffs, we won the Super Bowl. He didn’t have near the experience that [Buffalo coach] Marv Levy had. And nor did I versus [Bills QB] Jim Kelly. Would you like to have someone that has a ton of experience? Absolutely. Is that gonna decide who wins this game? No.
Q: The Bengals are a fun team to watch, aren’t they?
A: They are. It’s great for the league, I think. Like last year with Cleveland, we saw it a few years ago with Jacksonville, and now this year with Cincinnati, I just love for these teams that have just not had more success for an extended period of time to then be in the position that they’re in and rally an entire fan base, I think it’s awesome. I think it’s great for the city of Cincinnati and it’s great for Ohio and all Bengals fans. … I think it’s good for our league.
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